Scour eBird for black-rumped flameback sightings in Chennai, and the effort would dredge up addresses that connote the hubbub of city life. The black-rumped flameback occurs commonly in Chennai and surrounding areas, even in urban patches marked by a thick stand of trees, and a familiar snapshot is that of the bird at its post, diligently pecking away at a coconut tree. ‘Borer’ signifies one stage in the development cycle of these insects, when as larvae, they do the damage. It can also look for insects in damaged sections of trees, and may in the process even get rid of certain tree-boring insects what larvae can damage trees unseen. With almost every other tap, the woodpecker is prospecting for insects that occupy the furrows and crevices of the bark. Having wrapped ts head neatly around the 80-20 pareto principle, the woodpecker makes its job easier by seeking out dead or partly weakened trees to drill its nest in, and invariably leaves the hole behind as a hand-me-down for other bird species to occupy and raise their young. The uninformed and superficial observer may take every tap of its beak on wood for hole-making, territory-expanding self-aggrandisement. The eggs hatch after about 11 days of incubation.With its reputation as “woodworker” preceding it, a woodpecker may carry blood on its head that it never spilt. The normal clutch is 3 and the eggs are elongate and glossy white. The eggs are laid inside the unlined cavity. Nests have also been noted in mud embankments. Sometimes they may usurp the nest holes of other birds. The nest hole is usually excavated by the birds and has a horizontal entrance and descends into a cavity. It is somewhat rare in the Kutch and desert region of Rajasthan. It is one of the few woodpeckers that are seen in urban areas.įound mainly on the plains going up to an elevation of about 1200m in Pakistan, India south of the Himalayas and east till the western Assam valley and Meghalaya, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They are often seen in urban areas with wooded avenues. It is associated with open forest and cultivation. It has a characteristic rattling-whinnying call and an undulating flight.įeed on insects mainly beetle larvae from under the bark, visit termite mounds and sometimes feed on nectar. Young birds are like the female, but duller. It is a large species at 10.24 - 11.42 inches in length and weighs around 86 - 133 grams.įemales have a black forecrown spotted with white, with red only on the rear crest. The long tongue can be darted forward to capture insects. Like other woodpeckers, this species has a straight pointed bill, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks, and zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backward. Unlike the Greater Flameback it has no dark moustachial stripes. The head is whitish with a black nape and throat, and there is a grayish eye patch. The black throat finely marked with white immediately separates it from other golden backed woodpeckers in the Indian region. Underparts are white with dark chevron markings. The rump is black and not red as in the Greater Flameback. It has a typical woodpecker shape, and the golden yellow wing coverts are distinctive. The Black-rumped Flameback is also known as the Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker or Lesser Goldenback.
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